Saint Hugh of Grenoble

Memorial: 1 April
Profile: Son of a soldier named Odilo, a man known for his Christian life, and who later became a Cistercian monk; his mother was known for her life of prayer and alms-giving. Uncle of Saint Hugh of Bonnevaux. Exceptionally good student as a child. Canon in the cathedral of Valence, France at age 25. Bishop of Grenoble, France in 1080 at age 27, consecreated by Pope Gregory VII. He returned to Grenoble as a reformer, but after two years, convinced that he had not improved the lives or the holiness of his clergy, he resigned and retired to become a Benedictine monk at Chaise-Dieu in Auvergne, France; after a year of this, Pope Gregory ordered him back to Grenoble. This time his work and his example paid off - large crowds attended his preaching, his clergy brought new zeal to their ministry, the poor were cared for, and religious life had a new start in his diocese. Gave land to Saint Bruno for La Grande Chartruse abbey and helped him found the Carthusians. Gave both his mother and his 100 year old father their Last Rites.
Born: 1053 at Chateauneuf, Dauphiné, France
Died: 1 April 1132 of natural causes
Canonized: 1134 by Pope Innocent II
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